Failure Isn't an Option
by Partners In Fanfic
Summary: And suddenly, it was like time had slowed down.  -Missing scene from episode 1x10: Number Crunch-
1. Finch

**_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PERSON OF INTEREST._**

**A/N:** _Hey, everyone! Hope you all are having a LOVELY holiday season! So, here's another little story I've had in my Person of Interest folder for awhile, and I decided that I liked it enough to publish it (not to mention, I've had a lot of free time on my hands since it's Christmas break and I FINALLY finished the paper I had to write). Anyway, I've never written a "Missing Scene" story before, but this particular scene (or well, lack thereof) really jumped out at me. So yeah, there you go. -EAJP_

*Takes place in _Number Crunch_, right after they cut to break after showing Finch lying on the ground, staring at the explosion*

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><p>And suddenly, it was like time had slowed down. The "mother" hitting a button on her phone, the bomb inside the stroller detonating, the car exploding – they all happened in a matter of seconds, but to the only man really watching, it might as well have lasted hours.<p>

Finch knew what was happening, but everything felt oddly surreal to him. He knew what he should do, but some dark recess of his mind recognized what he _could_ do. Nothing. He could do absolutely nothing. It was helplessness in one of the cruelest senses of the word.

_Boom._ The force of the car explosion knocked Finch flat on the ground, but he didn't even register the impact. Reese's concerned voice in his ear was distant, and the pain that should have been shooting up and down Finch's spine appeared to be nonexistent. The explosion in front of the man consumed every one of his senses.

But suddenly, Finch heard the _click_ of a call ending. And then reality crashed back around him, bringing with it the pain in his neck that Finch had expected somewhere in the back of his mind. The pain was borderline blinding (it always was, when it was bad), but Finch struggled to his feet and started to stagger backwards. By now, people had gathered around to investigate the car that had mysteriously burst into flames, and sirens could be heard in the distance. No one took note of the bespectacled man in a suit though, not when there was something bigger to be paying attention to.

So, Finch tore his eyes away from the blaze and hurried away, and he realized that for the first time in a long time he was utterly _alone_. In a sea of people, there was no one there for him – even Reese had seemed to give up on him for the moment, probably annoyed with the fact that Finch had been unresponsive.

For a man like Reese though, maybe seeing someone literally go up in flames was commonplace. But death – witnessing a death he knew was imminent – was decidedly _not_ part of Finch's life. Of course, from his spot in the library he had seen more than his fair share of demise, but it was one thing to watch from a distance. From a distance, it was almost painless sometimes – sometimes Finch could even stop thinking about the latest face for a while and save himself the torture of knowing there was nothing he could have done to help.

But now had been different. There was no denying what happened, no videotape Finch could erase to never have to suffer through the image again. Suddenly, he understood why Reese had been hesitant to bring him along when they were chasing Kohl. Death was different up close in this business. Much, much different.

At the mere thought of Reese, Finch's earpiece came to life. "_Finch? Are you there?"_ Under any other circumstance, Finch might have found this a tad bit annoying, but in that moment the only emotion he felt was a strange sense of gratitude. Even if it was through an earpiece, Finch wasn't alone anymore.

"I'm here, Mr. Reese." Finch tried desperately to gain some control over himself (it had become an involuntary action to keep his guard up around Reese, it seemed).

"_Where are you?_"

That was a good question. Finch stopped finally and observed his surroundings. "About five blocks away from the explosion."

"_Finch, get back to the library."_

Finch nodded dumbly to himself, oddly glad to have someone giving him directions for a change. "I'll catch a cab now."

Finch expected Reese to hang up the moment the words left his mouth, but there was no sign of that. Reese was waiting – waiting for _him_ to say something, Finch guessed.

As a cab pulled up at the sidewalk, Finch finally let his voice betray some emotion. "Failure isn't an option, Mr. Reese."

There was a pause on the other end. _"It's not your fault, Harold." _

With that, Reese hung up and Finch stepped into the cab.

It's not his fault. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to believe that.

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><p><strong>Like it? Reviews are love and coffee. =)<strong>

**I actually have this story typed up from Reese's point of view, so if anyone's interested, maybe I'll post it. =)**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! Best wishes for 2012!**


	2. Reese

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PERSON OF INTEREST.**_

**A/N:** _Hey everyone! So here's my "missing scene" story from Reese's point of view. I wasn't too happy with this when I first wrote it, but after MUCH editing, I decided it would be suitable to read (It was kind of tough to write because I was trying to make sure that Reese didn't read into what was going on too much, since that doesn't seem to be a characteristic of his...at least not when he's in the middle of a situation like that). By the way, special thanks to everyone who reviewed this story! It's because of all the WONDERFUL reviews that I found motivation to really edit/publish this. -EAJP_

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><p>Reese ignored the women's protests around him as he ran out of the salon. He knew something was going very wrong. Too many things had started to happen at once, and he didn't like it. Paula and Wendy were God-only-knows where, and Finch was probably in the middle of a situation that was going to end horribly for someone.<p>

_Boom._ The explosion on the other end of the phone line was muffled, but still loud, and Reese was worried about just how close Finch had been.

Finch wasn't answering him, either, which didn't help to ease his troubled mind. Damn. Reese felt the odd urge to either take off in Finch's direction or punch the closest thing to him, but he successful suppressed both impulses. Instead, he ended his call with Finch and stopped to think for a moment.

Obviously, Matthew was dead. But what about Finch and _his_ lack of response? Finch's ear piece could have fallen out. Maybe his hearing was temporarily affected by the blast. Someone could have started talking to him and he couldn't answer. A crowd could have gathered and Finch didn't want to draw attention to himself. Maybe he was calling 911. There were so many possibilities as to what was happening. Of course Finch was fine. There were so many possibilities, he had to be.

Then why was Reese so worried?

He knew that his concern should be finding the other two women before the killers got to them, but at that moment he couldn't bring himself to care. If something happened to Finch, then Reese had to blame himself. The whole point of their operation was to use those numbers to protect people, and here Reese was sending Finch straight into danger.

Collateral damage. That's what his CO would have called it, not to mention the CIA. In fact, collateral damage was one of Snow's favorite phrases – the man could hide behind that phrase better than anyone Reese had ever known. Reese laughed humorlessly at the thought.

But there was no time to think about that now. Reese started walking in the general direction of the library. He needed to rethink the situation and make a new plan, and the first step had to be getting a hold of Finch.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Finch's number hastily. "Finch? Are you there?" Reese asked as soon as the call picked up.

"_I'm here, Mr. Reese._" Reese inwardly breathed a sigh of relief at hearing the other man's voice. He was alive – albeit seemingly shaken, but alive nonetheless.

"Where are you?" Reese stepped under the awning of the building he was walking by.

"_About five blocks away from the explosion."_ Reese was glad to hear that Finch decided to leave the area – if Carter had decided to show up at some point, Finch most certainly didn't need to be around for her to see.

Reese could tell that for once, Finch needed direction of some sort. And lucky for him, damage control was one of Reese's specialties. "Finch, get back to the library," he instructed.

"_I'll catch a cab now," _Finch replied somewhat indifferently.

Reese waited, finger hovering over the "end call" button. Finch was upset, he could tell. And he wasn't going to leave him alone if he needed him. He'd wait.

Finally, Finch spoke. "_Failure isn't an option, Mr. Reese."_

Reese, like he had with that judge, read between the lines. Finch was blaming himself. Of course he was, Reese thought sadly. He paused for a moment to find something adequate to say to his partner. Finally, he settled on, "It's not your fault, Harold."

Reese ended the call then, satisfied that Finch was on his way to being fine and probably wanted to brood in peace on his way back to the library. He wasn't sure just how difficultly the bespectacled man was taking this sudden turn in events, and decided that the only way he could really figure it out was by seeing him face-to-face.

It wasn't Finch's fault. No, no it wasn't. There wasn't anything Finch could have done differently.

It wasn't Finch's fault. At that point, that was about the only thing Reese was sure of.

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><p><strong>Like it? Leave a comment. Reviews are love and coffee. =)<strong>

**I might be publishing a oneshot involving Fusco later...I need a break from all this dramatic writing. =)**


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